A tranquil island atmosphere with dazzling beaches, clear azure waters, delicious food and exceptional natural beauty, Okreblue Yoga Retreat offers the perfect space to immerse in reflective practices. Located on the magical Greek Island of Paros, this seaside eco-retreat center is in an area of exceptional natural beauty, overlooking the blue waters of the Aegean Sea with sand dunes, aged cedar forests, “secret” coves with sandy beaches and clear waters. The accommodation is just steps away from the water, with open-air indoor/outdoor yoga halls, and organic food that is grown right in the Okreblue's gardens. this retreat creates the perfect space to reconnect with mind, body, spirit, and nature. Greece, itself, is the perfect destination for yoga teacher training, you will fall in love with its beautiful, calming and magical charm.

Traveling to Greece is a wonderful experience, the unique culture and spectacular landscapes will amaze you. Greece delivers an ideal and perfect climate where countless opportunities exist to expand your senses and take in the elements of nature. The waters of Greece glisten in diverse shades of crystal blue, the golden sands lure you into space of deep relaxation and the ancient sites take you back in time. Nearby the retreat you will find many opportunities to enjoy all Greece has to offer including, visiting picturesque fishing towns, swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving and many more off the beaten path adventures.

Join Us By The Clear, Azure Waters of Greece

"I loved the atmosphere you guys created, it was so inviting and compassionate while also balancing professional vibe. The location and schedule were also wonderful. You were flexible when needed which allowed us to be more attentive and learn more. This experience completely changed the way I look at yoga and my practice, and even my life. I would 100% attend another Teacher Training with Soma Yoga Institute and will definitely be recommending this training program to others. I don’t think I fully understood the impact this practice could have on someone prior to this teacher training. I feel that I have learned so much and it has all made me very confident in my future yoga practice both as a student and as a teacher.  Thank you for making this transformational experience so incredible! "

- Becca

curriculum highlights

Please note: This teacher training program is approved with Yoga Alliance (Y.A.) and graduates are eligible to register with Y.A. as a Registered Yoga Teacher at the 200-hour level (RYT-200). The therapeutic perspective & curricular components of this program are based on the instructors' registration as a Certified Yoga Therapist with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (C-IAYT) and not derived from their status as an E-RYT 500 with the Y.A. Registry as the Y.A. Registry does not certify therapists, solely yoga teachers.

Certification as a RYT-200 with Yoga Alliance

A solid foundation in classical Hatha Yoga – including alignment based vinyasa flow and restorative yoga within a therapeutic framework.

An anatomy and biomechanically informed alignment system that helps to address common misalignments and keeps your students safe

Modifications and adaptations for all bodies, including special populations such as seniors, pregnancy, and those with injuries

Gain insights into your (true) nature through the wisdom of Yoga and its philosophy


Explore breath work, mantra and meditation as tools to create vibrant health and wellbeing in your life

Learn the art of sequencing yoga classes that honors your authentic voice and meets the needs of your student population

Business of Yoga & How to Build Your Yoga Community

Learn to share the practices with others in a safe and powerful way

Build self-confidence and tap into your amazing potential in a supportive, nurturing environment

Train with highly experienced, knowledgeable and passionate teachers and yoga therapists

get the complete curriculum guide

Liz Heffernan, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT is an international yoga teacher and Integrative Yoga Therapist. She draws from over two decades of personal yoga practice, 25 years of teaching and extensive training in the Hatha yoga systems of Kripalu, Integrative Yoga Therapy, Ashtanga and Anusara. She currently directs and leads Yoga teacher trainings and workshops in worldwide locations, provides unique one-to-one mentoring for yoga teachers wishing to improve their skills and delivery, instructs daily yoga classes and offers private therapeutic sessions. 

meet your instructors

Liz Heffernan

more about Liz

Peggy Profant, C-IAYT Yoga Therapist, E-RYT 500, and Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher, is a playful, passionate and adventurous spirit who is on a lifelong path of Yoga. 

Her approach blends the ancient wisdom of yoga with biomechanically sound alignment to help her students become more firmly anchored in their true, radiant self. She first discovered Kripalu yoga and changed the course of her life in her formative teen years in 1980.

Peggy Profant

more about Peggy

MA, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT
Yoga Therapist

E-RYT 500, C-IAYT Yoga Therapist

Liz is the Founder and Director of Soma Yoga Institute, a world-wide, in-person and online yoga teacher training school that embraces a therapeutically-oriented, heart-centered approach. These programs, heralded by many as truly inspirational, combine modern day biomechanics and research driven science with ancient teachings and serve to teach adaptive Yoga for all BODIES as a practice for vibrant health, self-transformation and personal empowerment.

Liz has trained extensively in the Hatha systems of Kripalu, Ashtanga, Anusara and Integrative Yoga Therapy.

In her work as a yoga therapist, Liz specializes in working with students with musculoskeletal issues as well as helping seniors age gracefully. She is highly skilled in adapting practices to meet the complex health challenges associated with aging. In collaborative partnership with Yoga 4 Brain Health she has co-founded the Memory Maintenance Yoga Teacher Training program that certifies Yoga teachers to help their communities delay the onset of memory loss related diseases through Yoga. Liz also serves as a faculty-mentor for the Kripalu School of Integrative Yoga Therapy supporting professionals on their journey to become yoga therapists.

Liz is known is for her ability to bridge the gap between the ancient perspectives of yoga and contemporary daily life. Her teaching weaves together philosophy, creative sequencing, clear alignment, mindful breathing, and compassionate self-inquiry to form a tapestry that reflects her heartfelt commitment to this transformative path.

Liz believes that the path of Yoga brings greater ease, not just to the individual, but to all beings everywhere, and ultimately uplifts planetary consciousness one conscious breath at a time.


Liz Heffernan

<- back

Jess Trudeau carries 900 hours of advanced certifications from Yogaworks, Laughing Lotus, Blissology Bali, and Heartwood Institute.

A nomad at heart, she has led teacher trainings, retreats, workshops and classes worldwide for 15 years since her first class to a group of women in Mongolia while living in the Peace Corps.

She finds joy in making yoga accessible to all with creative use of props and adaptations for beginners, injuries, body types, and pregnancy; instilling an inclusive environment for the practice of yoga. Her mantra is, “move like yourself” and encourages students to find their own inner teacher with the foundation of guiding principles. She infuses classes with mantras on harmonium to find voice, hand mudras, breath pranayama, as well as insightful themes and intentions to shake out routine and invite people back home to their bodies. She is interested in balancing the architecture of alignment with the grace and freedom found in flow.

Jess first began practicing yoga in 1999 as a young college student in art school and fell in love with it’s creative nature. The practice has been her foundation through the carnival of life including motherhood and a tumultuous illness with Guilliane-Barre that left her temporarily paralyzed in 2016. She believes her yoga and meditation practice to be the shining light through any darkness on her path as it has helped her recognize the body’s phenomenal potential to overcome. She uses yoga as a gateway to better understand oneself, accept and even celebrate our humanness, and to seek wonder in the cracks where the light tries to find us. 

Jess Trudeau

<- back

As a teen she discovered Kripalu yoga and changed the course of her life in her formative teen years. In 1994 she met her teacher, BNS Iyengar in Mysore, India who taught her the traditional forms of Ashtanga yoga. In 2001 she became interested in a more therapeutic approach to help her heal from injuries. She found Anusara Yoga and delighted in it's style of weaving meaningful heart themes into therapeutically aligned sequences. Peggy pursued the rigorous path to become a Certified Anusara Teacher in 2004 and began to delve into more studies of the therapeutic aspects of yoga.

Every class she teaches is an artistic expression with meaningful and uplifting heart themes partnered with skillful sequencing and therapeutic alignment. As a yoga practitioner and teacher for over 25 years, Peggy has always been intrigued by the aspects of mental well-being through yoga. In her studies to become a yoga therapist, she focused primarily on yoga psychology and the healing benefits of yoga for herself and her clients.

Peggy is a thoughtful and encouraging mentor to many students and yoga teachers in her community and around the globe. It is her wish to empower her students, friends and colleagues to overcome obstacles to self love and allow each person to joyfully offer their gifts back to humanity. In addition to Yoga, traveling and being in nature with her family is where she finds her deepest joy and peace. Peggy founded and operated a premier yoga studio in Arcata, Om Shala Yoga, for 10 years, and co-founded World Family Yoga leading family retreats in Costa Rica. She has been leading workshops, retreats and Yoga Teacher Trainings since 2005.

Peggy Profant

<- back

sign-up today!

the details

Suresh, Okreblue’s talented Indian chef, prepares healthy fusion Mediterranean Indian cuisine using organic ingredients, the majority of which are picked fresh daily from Okreblue’s organic garden. Morning smoothies, a vegetarian brunch, and a vegetarian dinner are provided for yoga teacher training participants each day. Gluten free, wheat free, dairy free, vegetarian and vegan diets are accommodated upon request. You may also like to visit Okreblue's Café that serves light meals and drinks in a wonderful, chilled out atmosphere with lovely sea views. Their menu includes breakfast items, salads, cold plates, smoothies with superfoods, raw vegetarian & vegan sweet delights, herbal teas, organic honey and Tacchini (a local specialty).

meals

Program Cost = RETREAT FEES + tuition

Yoga Teacher Training Tuition
$2197 USD Early Bird rates when you place your deposit by Jan 30 ($2497 after). Tuition includes yoga teacher training tuition, a comprehensive 200 page Yoga Teacher Training Manual, 6 months access to our 200 Hour Online Yoga Teacher Training content, an essential resource to support you as you move out into the world teaching yoga, as needed mentoring after the program ends.

Retreat Fees (housing and healthy meals)
Includes 24 nights of housing, morning smoothies, two healthy meals per day prepared for you with love (brunch/dinner). 
Triple Room Rate 2425 Euros (~ $2652 USD)
Double Room Rate 2785 Euros (~$3046 USD)
Single Room Rate 3865 Euros (~$4228 USD)
*Exchange rates vary day to day.

Daily Schedule

Sunrise beach meditation, pranayama, chanting, gentle morning yoga
Morning Smoothies
Yoga Asana Class
Bruch & Swim or Rest Break
Techniques and teaching methodology includes sequencing and/or pose study with alignment
Philosophy, anatomy and/or practice teaching
Dinner and a break for Sunset
Restorative, therapeutic practice, Yoga Nidra, individual study and/or group work
(Please note there will be one day off each week to rest, sight see and enjoy the beauty of Paros)


06:30

07:30

08:00

10:00

12:30

14:00

17:00

18:30

program Dates

May 23-June 16, 2024

Deposit & Tuition Payment Schedule

A $500 USD deposit will reserve your space and will be applied to the full tuition price listed above. Deposits, tuition, and housing payments minus a 10% processing fee, are refundable up to 30 days prior to retreat start date. The 10% processing fee will apply to all refunds and this fee covers credit card charges and administrative processing fees.

Retreat costs (housing and food) are due three months prior to the start date of the program or within two weeks of registering and your final tuition payment is due no later than one month prior to the program start date. If you would like to discuss alternate arrangements or a payment plan, please feel free to contact us directly and we would be happy to work something out.

Fee-free transfers for documented health/emergency situations: If cancellation is necessary prior to the first day of the program due to documented health or emergency situations, a student’s deposit and tuition will be fully transferable to a future program with Soma Yoga Institute. In all other circumstances, due to the logistics involved in planning residential programs in retreat settings, we regret that we are unable to issue deposit/tuition/housing refunds 30 days or less prior to program start date. No refunds are issued on or after the program start date for any reason.

transportation

By Plane: 
Aegean Air flies from Athens to Paros, Greece. Make sure you book your tickets well in advance. For information, visit: http://en.aegeanair.com/ 

By Boat: 
There are two ports in Athens, Greece: Rafina port and Piraeus port. Rafina port is closer to the airport and you can get there either by taxi or bus. By bus will take you about 45 minutes and it costs 3 Euros. Piraeus port is further from the airport than Rafina, and you can get there by bus, metro or taxi. The metro and bus are both very convenient because they will leave you just a few meters from where you get the boat to Paros. Both the bus and the metro take about one hour (the bus a little longer maybe depends on the traffic) to get to Piraeus and cost 10 Euros. 

There are two companies that sail to Paros: BlueStar Ferries, Athens, Greece takes about 4.5 hours and runs twice a day with tickets starting at 33 euros Hellenic Seaways, Athens, Greece takes about 2.75 hours with tickets starting at 45-50 euros. Another option is to take a boat from Mykonos island in Greece, it’s is a 45-minute boat ride to Paros. 

When you are in Paros a taxi from the port is 37 Euros, we will organize combined rides for you when possible for 10 Euros per person. Taxi from the airport in Paros is 50 Euros. We will help you organize a shared shuttle when possible to help reduce the cost.

"For years I have been trying to understand my body and the different pains and injuries I have, and honestly, I have never understood so much about it in so little time! I made so much progress during this training. I loved how anatomy gave me a better understanding of my body, habitual behaviors, and how to work with injuries. The philosophy gave me a deeper understanding of yoga as the art of living and complemented my studies of Buddhism. Morning practices gave me the chance to test new ways of practicing in my own body. I learned so much I didn’t know about yoga history and loved learning to sequence as a foundation for a flowing class. I enjoyed the manual a lot and thought that this training was very professional! I learned to have way more confidence in myself when I let go and just “be.” Thanks to this yoga teacher training I have completely switched my way of seeing yoga and would definitely return and recommend this program to others. Namaste!  

-Jalil Bouab

"This training really opened my eyes, heart, and mind. I have found joy and self-love, and confidence and would love to share this with others. What amazing energy, teachers, location, and students this training had! Liz really set up a very conducive, loving, encouraging, environment which I truly value and Molly’s classes were challenging and fun. I would love to train again with Soma Yoga and highly recommend this program to others! I am absolutely grateful! This training exceeded my expectations and it is truly one of the most inspiring events of my life."

-Eunice Wong

"I loved the unwavering positivity of this training. It was so rich and never boring. Every day I was excited to wake up at 5:45 to discover the next lesson, whether it be Ayurveda doshas, chakras, or a different style of yoga! I loved the support of our daily practices and the 8-fold path we were introduced to in our study of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. This 8-fold path is a big help in reminding me where I will go. This training showed me that yoga is the best way to calm my mind, and I learned so many teaching techniques I am excited to continue to practice and master. I would definitely return to Soma Yoga Institute in the future. I am so grateful for all of your love, support, heartfelt joy, respect, and professionalism. Thank you so much!"

-Patrizia Trojani Poggi

"This experience affected my life in so many unexpected ways. All of them positive. I came away with more self-acceptance, personal skills I am certain will be of benefit to my own health as well as the lives of others. Soma Yoga Institute expertly takes care of all the details so your sole focus can be embracing this life changing experience. I really enjoyed the patient and encouraging teaching, the close friendships that were formed, and the gorgeous location (The Okreblue Retreat in Paros, Greece) of this 200-hour yoga teacher training program! I will definitely be recommending this program and hope to train with Soma Yoga Institute again in the future. I would confidently put my trust in Soma Yoga Institute again."

-Ami Sandlan

"The location was amazing. Being so close to the beach at Okreblue Retreat in Greece was extremely nice. Liz and Molly really, truly welcomed all of us to the yoga teacher training and brought so much life to it. This yoga center truly opened my heart and mind to different perspectives on life in general and specifically my life. My confidence level as a yoga teacher increased but I also realized how much more intricate yoga is. The chakra component was very fun and interesting. It helped me to realize how diverse yoga is! I will definitely return for more training with Soma Yoga Institute and will definitely recommend this program to others. Soma Yoga Institute is the most loving, caring environment for me to grow as a yogi and to improve as a yoga instructor. There is no other place I can imagine for me. I have learned so much about yoga and most importantly about loving myself and how I can spread that positivity to my surroundings!"

-Erica Im

Video testimonials ->

what our students are saying

GET YOUR FREE curriculum guide